Over 200 Open Houses at Over 100 Tour Sites, 7 Guided Tours Across Ohio will showcase clean energy and green design in events throughout local areas. Oberlin is offering a guided tour on Saturday, October 5 from 10 am – 3 pm. The public is invited to take the FREE “Green Energy Ohio Tour” and network with friends and neighbors using renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green design.

For the last 11 years, the educational non-profit organization Green Energy Ohio (GEO) has sponsored the tour on the first weekend in October tour to showcase the industry across the state. A few years ago GEO changed the "Ohio Solar Tour" name to the"Green Energy Ohio Tour" to more accurately describe the tour that features not only solar, but tour sites with wind, energy efficiency, biomass and other green energy technologies.

The Oberlin guided tour commences on Saturday, October 5 with a 10:00 am kick-off at the Adam Joseph Lewis Center. This building was named one of the most important green buildings since 1980 based on feedback from green building experts and advocates. The second stop will be at Trail Magic, Oberlin’s first home that uses a variety of innovations to achieve energy neutrality and sustainability. The third stop is at the Oberlin College solar array. Oberlin College has entered into a power purchasing agreement with Spear Point Energy to purchase electricity from a 2.27-megawatt (MW) solar array to be constructed on college property. It is the largest photovoltaic array on any college or university campus in Ohio. The power generation is interconnected with a power grid to enable the sale of safe, clean energy. The fourth stop will be

for lunch hosted by Oberlin Municipal Power in conjunction with Public Power Week and a guided tour of the solar array and diesel/natural gas peaking power plant. A fifth stop is being planned but not confirmed yet.

Participants of the 2013 Oberlin Green Energy Tour will also be offered special discounts from Slow Train Café, Cowhaus Creamer, and Magpie Pizza. All these businesses are located in the sustainable building complex called the East College Street building.

Over 200 Open Houses at over 100 Tour Sites are registered for the 4 days of the GEO 11th statewide tour event stretching across 37 counties. GEO Executive Director Bill Spratley said: “A solar unit is installed every 4 minutes in the U.S. and Ohio now ranks 11th in new solar installations. The free GEO Tour is a great opportunity for Ohioans to learn first-hand about the latest in solar, wind, biomass and energy efficiency. Many previous tour-goers have adopted sustainable energy for their home, business and community and now provide their own green energy for a cleaner environment and new jobs.”

The Ohio Development Services Agency (formerly ODOD) is the Presenting Sponsor of this year’s Tour along with Ecohouse, Appalachian Renewable Power, Solaris Blackstone and Zane State College. The GEO Tour is part of the American Solar Energy Society’s National Solar Tour.

ABOUT GREEN ENERGY OHIO - GEO is statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting economically and environmentally sustainable energy policies and practices Formed in 2001, see more at www.greenenergyohio.org. GEO is the Ohio Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society. ASES leads national efforts to promote solar energy education, public outreach, and advocacy, see more at www.ases.org.

A complete list of tour sites and times are available online at http://www.greenenergyohio.org on the guided tour section of the 2013 Tour page. Feel free to attend the entire Oberlin tour or join at a stop along the way. A carpool caravan will be led from the Adam Joseph Lewis Center, 122 Elm Street (first location on the tour, by Sharon Pearson, Oberlin Project Program Coordinator. For more information and for list of tour sites and map, contact Sharon Pearson at The Oberlin Project offices, by calling (440) 775-6473 or spearson@oberlinproject.org . This tour is co-sponsored by Green Energy Ohio and The Oberlin Project.

Sharon Pearson is the Program Coordinator for the Oberlin Project and liaison to the Transportation Working Group. Sharon will complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Green and Sustainable Enterprise Management by the end of 2013. She was born and raised in Oberlin and worked for Oberlin City Hall for 25 years. Currently she and her fiancé are moving back to Oberlin so they can take advantage of the various low-carbon transportation methods available including walking, biking, car-sharing, ridesharing while actively being involved in the Oberlin community.